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WhiteyFord · 11-10-2006, 11:13 AM

Anyone purchased the new 2007 27ft FB Classic? We have been looking at that unit and it has lots of appeal. The appeal to us is the floor plan, not the price!

If there are any 27 footers out there, we would like to know your opinions.

CanoeStream · 11-10-2006, 12:20 PM

Hello kitfoxdriver -- Glad to see you posting. Hope you're enjoying the Forums, learning what you need, etc.

Yes, prices and ability to bargain on in-demand units like the FB series is a mixed bag. We ordered our 25' FB in July '05 and list price is maybe $15,000 more right now. I appreciate a lot of the features in our Airstream. All the current FBs are a great design with a light airy feel from all the windows back in the living area -- and backing this into a campsite gives extra privacy.

Member wheel interested owned a Safari 25' FB briefly and quickly transitioned to the Classic 27' FB Limited. Now the Safari 27' FB has come out. Advantages are a bigger wardrobe on the roadside, a touch more kitchen & toilet space, and a front-to-back bed. The 25' FB is actually 25' 11" long, so I can't say the 27 is too much length -- but see this.

I knew of one Safari 27' FB SE owner until I reviewed a thread and found a second. See this thread more info -- post in that thread if you want to ask questions. Also see here.

The 25' FB SE with twin beds has much more outside storage compartment space than any other FB trailer that I know of. It lets me carry wheel chocks and leveling blocks and hitching paraphernalia in one compartment, foldup chairs and large outside mat in a second, and clean water hoses etc in the third. I've got plenty of space in our truck bed but we put two bicycles back there on a homemade rack. I feel like I have a pocket cruiser. I can't quite say our twin beds are the cats meow. The front-to-back queen would be best but then where would I be when using it for fishing with the guys?

The one link has pictures from Toscano RV in California. Colonial Airstream in NJ has good pics. To find the model in question use your browser's find function (CTRL-F) and enter 27'. Airstream of Arkansas also can have good pics. More and more dealerships are doing this and that's good to see.

wheel interested · 11-11-2006, 03:55 AM

We really like our 27' Classic. The floorplan is terrific. I like the rear entry and rear wrap around windows for nestling back into a great view with privacy. The front bedroom and divided bath feels like a suite with the divider pulled and isolates front and back each having plenty of room to its own function. Seating is ample and the galley is huge. I think it is very condusive to entertaining. That is common to all styles and sizes of this floorplan.

Unique to the Classic is the solid hickory wood cabinetry and table. The cushions with ultraleather are soft and supple and the cushions feel plumper and more dense than the Safari. The gas tanks are aluminum with gauges and are also on the sytems monitor panel. The toilet is larger with a more forceful flush. The hotwater heater is electric or propane capable. Disk brakes are included on the Classics and work very well. The water filter has a separate tap and is undercounter and not part of the faucet headset. Soap dispensers are at galley and bath. Extra pump switch located in bath. The bath faucet is a shower massage that adjusts up and down on bar for height with the scald monitor to let you set the temperature within 3 degrees of desired temperature. The walk around bed in a 25 crossways bed is not truely walk around unless you have pixie feet and are a contortionist.

The mattress is innerspring. Underbed storage has three pull out drawers rather than an open bed side with plastic boxes. So basically it is like the 31 and 34' queen bedrooms without the wooden doors.Countertops are corian without edging to fray and blends well with dust

and makes a continous level work space in the galley from stove to sink. The flip up shelf does not protrude unduly into the walkway or block the door when in use. Batteries are enclosed. Integrated Airstream step (that can be a good or bad thing depending upon whether the inclination to trapese offsets the asset to you) We have a doorbell so I think of Stacy and Nicky in the Long Trailer often.

Florescents that can be turned on all at once or individually are actually quite nice on the road without hook-ups. Mouse fur lets you attach tacky decor with velcro and in combination with the headliner keeps the coach cooler in heat, warmer in cold and quieter all the time and does not require frequent dusting and polishing.Obviously there is more storage in a 27' than 25'. We like the no front wrap and queen and it keeps the bedroom insulated and adds two ceiling to floor wardrobe/shelf/drawer/storage units. The side window is larger than on the Safari. The bedroom overhead cabinets can be accessed from the side and not climbing onto the crossway bed. The rear overhead cabinets while not deep like the Safari to hold a laptop also does not extend over your head while seated. The speakers are wall mount whereas the Safari is undercabinet and feels and sounds very much like you are wearing one channel of stereo directly on your head. Perhaps that would be considered a headbangers special. Window treatments offer additional insulation to temperature and sound and provide full closeout privacy with various combinations between. The holding tanks are larger. The dividers seem an upgraded material. The pantry is wood with sides as opposed to hanging wire shelves. Molded rear bumper slide out drawer that holds quite a bit. There is a mirror on the wardrobe door, built in zipdee storage and 2 chairs, full awning package, which I would definitely add to any FB because of all the glass to keep temperatures and glare in check.

27' has not been an issue with campsites yet. We prefer a larger campsite with more room between units anyway. Sometimes even if you could, would you? Of course a 16' NB Bambi would be sooo much easier to place!

Hope my runon sentence single paragraph format and zigzag content wasn't too laborious for you. We like it a lot and it is very comfortable.

wheel interested · 11-11-2006, 04:34 AM

A really nice feature on the Safaris that is not duplicated on the Classic is the hot and cold water outside shower. Classics only have the exterior cold water valve.

WhiteyFord · 11-13-2006, 12:01 PM

Thanks, everyone, for your input. Lots of info you provided! We will be digesting all the areas you pointed out over the next week or two. In fact, we will be in the Tucson area over the Thanksgiving holiday and plan to visit Oasis RV. They are Airstream exclusive dealer and currenty have the 27' in stock. We have spent time looking at the 27' and 28ft' classics at Windish RV in the Denver area and really like what we see in the 27'.
So, want to review the available options and hope to pick your brains as we progress to a final decision! Any chance you could give us your list of the options you selectied and the priority order you placed on those selections? Also, your $'s to value evaluation of your option selected now that you have them? This is a lot to ask so don't hesitate to pass...

wheel interested · 11-13-2006, 01:10 PM

I would get the upgraded AC/heat pump 15,000 BTUs. There are numerous recommendations from various owners here to upgrade the size of your air conditioner.

The solar upgrade with the AGM batteries and the 600 watt inverter would both be nice options, that we don't have. We bought off the floor, so I am not sure whether I would have included those or not, but we may be interested in them for the future.

On our option list is
skylight-galley with shade
skylight with shade (bath area)
tire-spare w/steel wheel lrd
audio/video upgrade w/19"TV
awnings-window 18'4.5RS&Rear
bedroom tv shelf

Our particular numbers probably wouldn't help you. I am sure you will shop the best dea, and we had a trade. Do get a quote from Colonial in New Jersey. They advertise they will not be undersold and have some units available now.

CanoeStream · 11-13-2006, 01:39 PM

Solar is the most expensive way to recharge batteries, then doesn't do a very fast job of it even in the fully exposed southwest US. Somebody recently posted on inverter efficiency for converting 12V DC to power 110V AC -- it was another strike against the idea of trying to run 110V appliances while boondocking unless you are actually producing 110V directly with a generator. You just can't run off batteries for that long, especially considering that it damages them when you discharge below 40-45%. It is physically impossible to run high wattage appliances like a microwave off an inverter and anything less than a figurative ton of batteries. Carrying enough storage (more batteries!) is not practical from a weight perspective.

When my current batteries do pass naturally in a couple years I am going to consider AGMs though!

WhiteyFord · 11-13-2006, 02:08 PM

We were seriously considering solar and an invertor. They are very pricey items and were were conserned whether they would return signifigant value. We are planning to have a couple(d) of Honda gensets and so having solar along with the gens may not make sense. If we had an invertor, it would probaby only be used for the Audio/Vidio system and running laptops. In fact, can the Audio/Video (optional) run with shore powere as well as 12V? Wheel Interested, my comment about $'s to value wasn't very clear. I was looking for your thoughts about your purchase decisions regarding your options and whether you have any second thoughts about them. Would you change your mind if you had hind sight...

wheel interested · 11-13-2006, 02:38 PM

Oops, sorry I misunderstood you. In hindsight, and if I were ordering new, I would still include the entertainment package even though it could be duplicated for less, it is fully functional and done all nice and neat and ready to go for us and under warrantee. You should be able to get the inflated($$) package at a reduced amount, this I think is one area where dealers can sweeten deals and have much latitude.

I was very pleased that this unit had the options I would have wanted, perhaps I would not have had the forethought to add the bath skylight, but I do now like it quite a bit. The shade gives you so much control of the lighting and if we are winter camping I am going to want electric and all the heat I want to keep me toasty and not whiny.

Also the shelf may have been something I would have ommitted thinking we could add it if necessary easily ourselves, but it has come in very handy as a quick catch all and for a variety of uses. I have scrapped my notion to put a monitor mount there and will use the lap top on it for movies or tv, though we can turn the front monitor to view it from the bed too.

Bob, those are great observations about solar and inverter. We use a pocket inverter for a short short time for the tv (news and weather) on the road and it works fine. kitfoxdriver the tv runs on shore power, it has a tranformer converting it (to 18volts hubby says), no problem that is what it is really meant to do. I would like to get a generator. If I had an Avalanche we'd probably have one today but the Suburban is holding us back from wanting it inside. Maybe we will try a catalytic heater to let us camp more than 2 nights in colder weather.

CanoeStream · 11-13-2006, 02:55 PM

Yes, Carol, I use a pocket inverter inside my tow vehicle and recharge camera, cell phones and laptop while underway (only necessary if I'm boondocking without a plugin).

kitfoxdriver, another plus about using a quiet genset is that the umbilical at the hitch only slowly recharges trailer batteries while underway. Common cited figures are two or more hundred miles on the road to accomplish this -- factors are distance from the alternator, other demands on the alternator (A/C, headlights), and the usual alternator design being just adequate for the tow vehicle operation. Me? I've got a Duramax in a 3/4-ton GMC that happily is rigged with the snowplow option that I don't use in any other way -- heavy duty alternator and dual batteries under the hood. I figure I have at least some margin for umbilical recharging since I'm not discharging my truck batteries with extra spots & running lights.

We do like the convection microwave option -- useful in any weather! (several good threads in the forums) But it opened my eyes the first time we ran it off our Honda eu2000i!

SteSpot · 11-13-2006, 04:13 PM

"When my current batteries do pass naturally in a couple years I am going to consider AGMs though![/quote]

Bob, what are AGMs? pj

WhiteyFord · 11-13-2006, 05:11 PM

Bob and Carol, Can the Audio/Video upgrade option be operated on battery power as well as shore power?

CanoeStream · 11-13-2006, 05:28 PM

AGM = absorbed glass mat. Search the Forums on "AGM advantages." Note this thread and the referenced Phrannie webpage (Ctrl-F on that webpage, entering "AGM" in the search field).

Like any car audio, the sound system is 12V. Television? I haven't been tempted to even get into that when camping. Know it's mentioned in threads... BTW, for the few shows we don't want to miss I do know that you can buy any show at iTunes for only $1.99. I'm thinking laptop & wireless downloads before I'd ever install a TV and either the local-only Batwing antenna or satellite -- but then we get mind-numbed enuff without the tube on (comes from reading the news, y'know ...)

Mike Lewis · 11-13-2006, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kitfoxdriver

Thanks, everyone, for your input. Lots of info you provided! We will be digesting all the areas you pointed out over the next week or two. In fact, we will be in the Tucson area over the Thanksgiving holiday and plan to visit Oasis RV. They are Airstream exclusive dealer and currenty have the 27' in stock. We have spent time looking at the 27' and 28ft' classics at Windish RV in the Denver area and really like what we see in the 27'.
So, want to review the available options and hope to pick your brains as we progress to a final decision! Any chance you could give us your list of the options you selectied and the priority order you placed on those selections? Also, your $'s to value evaluation of your option selected now that you have them? This is a lot to ask so don't hesitate to pass...

kitfoxdriver---We purchased our 2006/30'/Classic at Oasis in Tucson. You can not go wrong dealing with these folks. While it's not a fancy new dealersship ther DO know Airstreams. Joe the owner, started out as a mechanic for the Airstream factory. He is both owner and salesman thus chances for a closer deal due to no salesman commish. Like the sales their parts and sevice a second to non. Can't say enough good about them!!
pieman

wheel interested · 11-13-2006, 09:59 PM

kitfoxdriver all the audio can work on battery power alone, the tv (video) monitor will not. The tv monitor needs shore power or an inverter and on an inverter will run your batteries down fast. The tv monitor can also be used for photo slide show presentations and as a large screen computer monitor.

AGM batteries can be charged and do charge faster, do not need maintainence like adding water, they are more expensive but they last through more cycles of charging and discharging and there is no outgassing of caustic chemicals and therefore can be stored and shipped safely inside enclosed areas. They can be brought to a full charge even after full discharge. They also hold their charge longer than regular flooded cell batteries do when not in use.

CanoeStream · 11-14-2006, 05:00 AM

Due to the sealed nature AGMs do not vent hydrogen. This allows some interior options on battery installation for those doing restorations, though one must hold wiring runs between umbilical, converter & batteries down to a minimum. Lead acid batteries must have ventilation to the outside.

WhiteyFord · 11-14-2006, 01:57 PM

Pieman

Quote:

We purchased our 2006/30'/Classic at Oasis in Tucson. You can not go wrong dealing with these folks.

Yes, met Joe about a year ago when I dropped in on him per your recommendation. I agree. He is a down to earth guy who trys hard for our business. He's our preferred dealer right now, but want to make certain we would be getting a competitive deal with him. Thanks, Mike, for referring Joe to us.

Canoe stream

[quote]Television? I haven't been tempted to even get into that when camping./QUOTE]

We enjoy viewinging our digital photos and dvds on a larger screen than our laptops and were hopeing the television would run on 12V. I guess if we really think that feature is important, we could get the invertor option (ouch $'s

).

Another question or two?? Is having both skylights something that will be enjoyable or just be a significant heat source? Is one or the other better than two and if so which one?
Also, do the fantastic fans have 2 way switches and rain sensors?

wheel interested · 11-14-2006, 03:11 PM

You can plug this inverter into the 12volt accessory plug and then the tv monitor into it. It is quite nice, tells you what charge you have in your batteries, and other readouts and safety features. And only cost $40.00+ A forum member told me about it and I am ever so glad he did. It workd like a charm.

Xantrex, XPower Digital Micro - 400 watts

http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/164/p/1/pt/32/product.asp

I am thrilled with it and it's all I would have wanted to get the $600.00 inverter option for anyway. I have also used it in the truck to charge my camera batteries and run the laptop.

We are rarely where it is hot, but reflectex cut to fit would do the trick to keep blazing Florida sun out. I would think that the sky light in the living area to shed light on the lounge, table and galley would be preferable if choosing only one. The bath opening is not as large or as expensive as that one, but natural light in the bathroom area is a good thing too. But we are Northerners, you'll get a different insight from sun kissed Southerners, perhaps.

Airstream's Fantastic Vents are installed to vent out only. Fantastic Vent can supply parts and directions to make them reversable. Both front and back have rain sensors too.

WhiteyFord · 11-15-2006, 12:17 PM

Thanks, Carol. That's helpful information.

vpurdy · 03-11-2007, 02:12 PM

before i bought an inverter to stay warm a couple of extra nights i'd plug my tv in and charge the batteries....an inverter without a genset is a waste of time and money...solar will not keep up the charge...so you get very little use out of an inverter in acutuality in my opinion. my classic is prewired for solar but i'll never have it unless someone convinces me of its virtues.